The Cove (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)The new documentary "The Cove" tells a story the Japanese government would rather not be made public.
Richard O'Barry, the principal subject of the film, wrestles with almost constant feelings of remorse. In the mid 60s, he served as the technical advisor for the successful television show "Flipper"; he helped find, train and care for the dolphins who played the title character. The success of the series is viewed as the catalyst to the creation of "Ocean Parks" around the world, places like the various "Sea World" parks, where thousands of people visit every year to watch dolphins, whales and other sea creatures perform tricks. O'Barry learns of a small fishing village in Japan, Taijii, where the main business is to capture dolphins and herd them into captivity. They sell the best dolphins to parks, exhibits, "swimming with dolphins" type businesses and more, earning as much as $150,000 for the best of the best. But what do they do with the rest of these creatures? The ones that don't sell? O'Barry knows and he wants to expose the truth to the world in an effort to put a stop to it.
He enlists the aid of Louie Psihoyos, a documentary filmmaker, who assembles a team of people. They begin to gather all of the equipment they will need for the project and make many plans on how to infiltrate the secret areas before they set off for Japan. As soon as they arrive, the sheer amount of baggage (all of their equipment) catches the attention of the authorities and they are quickly under surveillance. The police visit O'Barry many times, each time trying to get him to admit his guilt. He doesn't trust them and they don't believe him.
As soon as they arrive in Taijii, O'Barry gives them a tour, always wearing a face mask, afraid some of the fishermen will kill him if they could get their hands on him. They pass a Dolphin Museum, complete with a happy, smiling dolphin painted on the side. O'Barry quickly explains how ironic this is.
Using techniques that are probably more common to a "Mission Impossible" sequel, they come up with a plan to infiltrate this heavily guarded area, place some hidden cameras and get some proof on film.
As we watch them go through these incredibly over the top security measures, the story slowly comes into focus. This is one of the most interesting elements of the story, of the film. Initially, O'Barry appears as though he could be a crackpot, the type of guy who probably smoked too many illegal substances once and now sees conspiracies around every corner. But as the story progresses, we start to see what he is talking about and realize he is right, just extremely passionate about the cause.
As he and the other volunteers work their way through the plan, we pick up more pieces of the puzzle until we learn the full truth.
And the truth is shocking. And watching video of this is only more disturbing.
Naturally, these fishermen have gone through the trouble of capturing these dolphins. The dolphins that aren't purchased by a "Sea World" like organization must be put to good use. And the use these fishermen come up with is pretty unsettling.
This is a film we should all see, to help spread the word. If we spread the word, we can put a stop to what is happening in Taijii, Japan.

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In a sleepy lagoon off the coast of Japan, behind a wall of barbed wire and "Keep Out" signs, lies a shocking secret. It is here, under cover of night, that the fishermen of Taiji engage in an unseen hunt for thousands of dolphins. The nature of the work is so horrifying, a few desperate men will stop at nothing to keep it hidden from the world. But when an elite team of activists, filmmakers and freedivers embark on a covert mission to penetrate the cove, they discover that the shocking atrocities they find there are just the tip of the iceberg.

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Dogtown: Second Chances (2008) Review

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UPDATE: 2/19/2011
"Best Friends" sentences shelter pets to death.
"Best Friends" USED to be a place of love and miracles and of soul.
Now, "Best Friends" is a place of incompetent, money hungry politicians.
Nathan Winograd, No Kill Expert, Writes:In the age of the internet, you can't be against one thing and for it at the same time. John Kerry learned that the hard way with his rambling, disingenuous explanations that were self-contradictory and smacked of sophistry: "I was against it, before I was for it." "I am against it, but I would do the same thing all over again." You can't be against using the "hoarding card" and then use it yourself. You can't be in favor of rescue access and then oppose it somewhere else. And you can't laud a new law and then attack another which does the same thing. But that is exactly what Best Friends is doing.
The ink is not even dry on the newly reintroduced Oreo's Law and Best Friends has already posted their intent not to support it again this year. Why? Rescuers are hoarders in disguise. They can't be trusted. But just a few short weeks ago, just like the 19th Century politicians in the age of the robber barons, their feckless CEO, Gregory Castle, was singing a different tune. In a blog, Castle decried PETA's use of the "hoarding" card as unfair and disingenuous. Hoarding, he said, was a mental disease. It had nothing to do with the No Kill movement. The popular piece was widely circulated on the internet, was posted to people's Facebook pages, was sent out on twitter. But there was no cost to him then. In fact, there could only be benefit. Here was the great Gregory Castle, the CEO of Best Friends Animal Society, standing up for the animals, for the little guy, for No Kill, for rescuers. But not now. Now there is a cost.
Best Friends is intimately tied into the ASPCA and Mayor's Alliance in New York City, having opened up a fundraising office there, and together the big three have carved out a healthy niche that brings in millions of dollars from unsuspecting New York donors after they falsely promise to help animals in need in New York State. To support Oreo's Law, to fight for the rights of rescuers, and to stand up for the animals would earn the wrath of Oreo's killer, Ed Sayres, and would earn the wrath of Jane Hoffman, whose power base is threatened by its passage. So there will be no denouncing the hoarding card this time. No standing up for the animals, for the little guy, for No Kill, for rescuers.
Their latest statement in opposition, more toned down and nuanced than the one last year which earned them the wrath of the No Kill community, doesn't use the word hoarding anymore. It doesn't blame the Hayden Law for hoarding in California anymore. It doesn't state that shelters should not be second guessed in their decisions to kill animals anymore. It doesn't complain that asking shelters to notify a rescue group before killing an animal is an unreasonable burden anymore. That was last year's strategy for them and it was a resounding failure. They lost the trust and faith of a lot of their supporters over those claims. But the message is the same: shelters should be allowed to continue killing 25,000 animals a year because rescuers, the very people whose money they are willing to take and who attend their conferences, cannot be trusted.
Today, in New York State as elsewhere, the leading killer of healthy dogs and cats in the U.S. is the local animal shelter. That is the single, greatest source of harm, of violence, or neglect and abuse. If you care about saving animals, your mandate is clear: Do everything in your power to remove animals from the threat of killing that is the local shelter. And every year in New York State, that is exactly what rescue groups are trying to do. But 71% of them are turned away from shelters and then those shelters kill the very animals they offer to save. By contrast, a ten year analysis of the Hayden Law in California, which does provide rescue access, found that this situation is no longer the norm here as it once was. In California, the rescue access law has forced shelters to allow lives to be saved, and claims that rescue groups can't be trusted (which were made in 1998 while it was going through the legislature) have not materialized. In fact, one shelter which refused to work with rescue groups in California before Hayden now does because they have to. In 1997, before the Hayden Law, they did not transfer a single dog or cat to rescue. They chose to kill them instead. Today, they transfer about 2,500 a year. But it is still "1997" in New York and rescue groups are still being turned away; Not because they aren't qualified, but because the shelters are hostile to rescue groups, have policies against working with rescue groups, and because of vindictive staff members. Best Friends would allow this to continue.
Gregory Castle, Julie Castle, and Francis Battista, the three blind mice leading Best Friends off a cliff, will not stand up for the animals if it means standing up to Oreo's killer and the power-hungry Jane Hoffman. Because doing so means impacting their bank accounts, which is getting fatter by the day because of their New York City association. As I've said before, these are the real hoarders. But instead of animals, they hoard money and power. Best Friends takes in over $40,000,000 a year but only rescues about 600 animals a year. Do the math. Put aside the $4,000,000 it takes to run the sanctuary. That is $60,000 per animal. In other words, into the bank it goes, while the animals of New York City go without basic care, while 25,000 animals throughout the state who rescue groups are willing to save are killed instead, and while Francis Battista says shelters should not be second guessed.
To cover the cold, ugly truth of their self-interested calculations, Best Friends says they would support it if there were assurances that rescue groups could be trusted. (They've said this before, asking for amendments in return for their support, only to break their commitment once those changes were put in). But claiming that the "hoarding card" is unfair when they blog against PETA, and then using PETA's tactics when it impacts their bank accounts isn't the only bit of the Battista-Castle hypocrisy.
When Delaware unanimously passed its rescue access law, it did so without any opposition from the ASPCA, Mayor's Alliance, or Best Friends. Why? They didn't know about it. It seems that in order for progressive animal legislation like Oreo's Law to be passed, it has to be kept from the large national organizations including the ASPCA, HSUS, and Best Friends. I blogged about it when it did pass and Best Friends scrambled to issue a statement where they congratulated Delaware animal lovers, assuring them that they supported the law. According to Best Friends, the difference between the Delaware law and Oreo's Law last year was that Delaware had a provision that the shelter could inspect the rescue group. And for Best Friends, that made all the difference. Really?
Oreo's Law now gives shelters the ability to inspect the rescue group when they have reason to suspect that the animal might be put in harm's way. That was one of the changes put into the law during the legislative recess. So why won't Best Friends support it? According to their statement, "the language has not changed since last year..." Not true. In fact, that is not the only change this year. There is also an exception for truly aggressive dogs, too, another so-called "concern" by Battista & Company. Just like the politicians of yore, Best Friends will say one thing in one forum and the opposite in another. In other words, Best Friends will never support the animals of New York and they will never support the rescue groups. Not as long as their real friends Ed Sayres and Jane Hoffman do not support it. Perhaps that is the true meaning of "Best Friends." They were talking about each other and we all thought they were talking about the animals.
The "experts" have failed us. Gregory Castle writes in his blog about what is needed to achieve No Kill. Of course, there is no mention of reforming shelters. There is no mention about empowering rescue groups. There is no mention of standing up to bullies who kill in the face of readily available lifesaving alternatives. There is no mention of removing the discretion that shelter directors have to avoid doing what is in the best interests of animals and kill them needlessly. There is no mention of getting large, national organizations to stop hoarding the money they raise to help animals and to actually use it for its intended purpose.* Instead, Gregory Castle tells us basically to shut up and send them more of it.
Seeing that the ASPCA is taking in $120,000,000 per year; seeing that HSUS can afford to send its CEO to a private chateau in Italy at donor expense, while Best Friends "only" takes in $40,000,000 or so every year, they have decided to become HSUS and the ASPCA, and to begin peddling what those groups have been peddling for years: a dependency model where we write the checks, shut the hell up, and allow the "experts" to take care of everything. Settle down little people, settle down. You do not have to be empowered by law. No need for the Magna Carta, the King has spoken; from God's lips to the King's mouth.
Prostrate yourself before him rescuers of New York, King Gregory Castle is in the room, followed by his Lordship, the Duke of Self Interest, Francis Battista. They know what is best, as we are all serfs who must continue doing as we are told. And how has King Castle's vision worked out? The same way it always works out for Kings and Subjects. From the standpoint of their bank accounts, it has been...Read more›

Click Here to see more reviews about: Dogtown: Second Chances (2008)

National Geographic teams up with the top-notch veterinarians and trainers at Best Friends Sanctuary to learn what it takes to rehabilitate abandoned, abused and problem pets and find them loving homes. DogTown is the largest no-kill animal facility in the country and has long been a sanctuary for dogs nobody else wanted a miracle for animals that need extra medical attention or behavior help. National Geographic teams up with the DogTowns dedicated staff of veterinarians and trainers to find out what it takes to rehabilitate problem pets and find them loving homes. Includes 3 full programs: Second Chances, Crisis Dogs and The Outsiders

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Whale Wars: Season 1 (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)After seeing the pilot episode on Animal Planet, I became more aware, educated and sympathetic to the plight of whales. These magnificent creatures--solemn, intelligent, peaceful and the largest mammals on earth--are vital links to the ecosystem of the seas and the oceans. They are creatures which mesmerizes the sight and stirs the imagination. History has shown us that these creatures were mercilessly hunted towards the brink extinction. It is only in recent times where laws were enacted to save the whales from forever vanishing in our Earth. Unfortunately, some countries like Japan, continue to ignore this moratorium on hunting Whales. Once you see this documentary, you will feel sick to your gut on how the whales are hunted and slaughtered in the guise of research! The Japanese has an armada of highly sophisticated, high-tech ships all dedicated to fine-tune the machinery of hunting whales.
Enter the Sea Shepherd, a conservation organization headed by its founder Paul Watson, dedicated and devoted not just to the conservation and protection of whales but all other marine animals as well. The Sea Shepherd is fighting a conservation war when no other country dares to do the fighting. This organization has been branded as pirates and terrorist. But to people who see the full extent of the unimaginable horrors of whaling, they are warriors, fighting a crusade to protect and conserve the existence of whales.
In this documentary, we will see the Ship M/V Steve Irwin, the flagship of the Sea Shepherd, named after the famous Australian Naturalist who died doing what he loves best--protecting and conserving animals of every kind. We will see the crew, several dedicated and unselfish individuals, volunteering from different countries who all have one goal in common and that is to preserve the animals that nature has given us. We will witness the effort of the Steve Irwin's crew exactly as they are unfolding, no holds barred , uncensored effort as they weave their way thru the Antartic Ocean, locating the Japanese vessels and disrupting their whaling activities. We will see the crew use several "non-lethal" methods of disruption--throwing stink bombs to make the decks unworkable because of the nauseating smell, laying down ropes that will disable a ship's propeller thereby making them immobile at sea and just plain low-down psychological talk on the communication systems.

Although the approach of the Sea Shepherd to conservation seems unconventional, its founder Paul Watson deems it necessary. The unorthodox methods that they are employing seems to be the only one working right now to stop the massacre of whales. He constantly argues that whaling countries do not listen to diplomacy and often ignore enacted laws to these endangered animals. He always backs his claims with UN-sanctioned documentation.
This is a very enlightening documentary that hit the cable TV recently that has roused my awareness in the highest levels. The world is now focusing on sustainable living. We must not discount protection and conservation in these endeavors. I highly recommend this documentary and I am pre-ordering it thru Amazon.

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During the 2007-2008 campaign, Animal Planet captured the intensity of Sea Shepherd's mission and the trials and tribulations of the crew in a new seven-part, hour-long weekly series WHALE WARS. The series draws attention to this global conservation issue that has caused friction between several nations over the practice of whaling in oceanic territories. This year's campaign was particularly eventful with multiple engagements, capsizing, possible hostage-taking and alleged shooting, and Animal Planet crews were onboard to document it as it unfolded.

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